"Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson called out PETA for condemning him after buying a hypoallergenic dog from a pet store rather than adopting.
The actor and comedian came under fire last week when video was leaked showing Davidson buying the pet at an New York City store shortly after losing his beloved family dog.
Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA Senior VP of Investigations, responded with a statement to TMZ criticizing Davidson for purchasing a Cavapoo puppy.
"Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future," said Nachminovitch.
In response, Davidson on Monday left a heated voicemail, later obtained by TMZ, for Nachminovitch.
"Thank you so much for making comments publicly that I didn't adopt a dog," Davidson said before pointing out that he is "severely allergic to dogs" and that Cavapoo dogs are nearly hypoallergenic. He noted that the puppy was purchased for his mother, whose dog Henry has recently died.
Davidson further defended his actions in a statement to TMZ.
"I haven't seen my mom and sister cry like that in over 20 years," he said of his family's reaction to Henry's death. "I was trying to cheer up my family. I was already upset that the store had filmed me without my permission or acknowledgment.
"Then this organization (PETA) made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse. I am upset. It was a poor choice of words. I shouldn't have said what I said, but I am not sorry for standing up for myself and my family."
PETA released a statement to People addressing Davidson's reaction, saying that while it empathized with his family, "there's no excuse for promoting the puppy mill industry by buying a dog from a pet store when millions of wonderful dogs await loving homes in animal shelters."
"Anyone set on finding a dog of a specific breed can go to shelters, where an estimated 25% of dogs are 'purebreds,' check with adoption groups, or search Petfinder online," the statement continued, adding that PETA did not believe Davidson purchased the puppy with ill intent.
"We know Pete cares about animals and was trying to do a nice thing for his family, but he has millions of impressionable fans, and his choices matter — so the next time he's ready to welcome an animal into the family, we hope he makes the compassionate choice to adopt, not buy," PETA said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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